Sisters in Arms is a twenty-first century war story Ð the Witmer familyÕs personal war story. Michelle Witmer was the first female National Guard member in history to be killed in action and the first Wisconsin National Guard combat fatality since WWII. The Witmer familyÕs struggle with the complex issue of family members serving side-by-side received world-wide media attention and Michelle WitmerÕs story would later be included in the HBO documentary ÒLast Letters Home.Ó
Using the letters, emails and phone calls received during their deployment, John Witmer describes his daughters experiences in Iraq and provides insight not only into the lives of female soldiers, but into the lives of families who wait for soldiers. Sisters in Arms illuminates the changing roles of women in the military while sharing the deeply personal story of a familyÕs struggle to come to terms with profound loss.